The wet weather has been putting a damper on some of our meets but it doesn’t mean you can’t have some fun hangs, we explore the best rainy day alternatives .

You’re getting all excited to go to your meet tomorrow, you have the kids frothing to see their buddies and then you look at the forecast… it is horrendous… howling winds, sheeting rain, wild surf.. Why have the surf gods conspired against you? Don’t worry, the team at Surfing Mums HQ have put our heads together to think of the best rainy day alternatives to get you out of the house.

1. The swimming pool If you are fortunate enough to live withing easy driving distance of an indoor swimming pool this is hands down the best rainy day alternative. Us grown ups get our aquatic fix and our little groms get to burn off some energy splashing around with their mates. If you have younger babies and a toddler a blow up baby ring seat or neoprene baby carrier  will allow you to keep your hands free for wrangling toddlers. 
2. The Library Check out what activities your local library have on. Most libraries have daily story times or sing along groups for children of all ages. You also benefit from being able to drop how you brought the children to the library into every conversation for the next month.  
3. The local mall Yep it may sound like we are scraping the bottom of the barrel but hear me out. Nealy every mall will have some sort of soft play area for the kids to burn off some steam, there is always somewhere for the grown ups to grab a coffee, and honestly some days just getting out of the house and having a conversation with another adult is good enough.
4.  Culture vulture See what exhibitions your local museum or gallery have on. Many will have kid friendly activities scheduled for weekdays. Don’t forget to take loads of photos of you doing said cultural activities so everyone knows that you are absolutely crushing this parenting thing. 
5. Play date at mine! (well not actually my house). If you are a small group and you have the space invite some of your group over for coffee and a play date at yours. Every kids knows that the best toys are the ones that belong to someone else. 
6. The cinema Most cinemas have a mums and bubs daytime showing.. yep you won’t want to choose a movie with rich dialogue and that requires uninterrupted attention but it’s a great opportunity to pig out on popcorn and malteasers with zero guilt.  
7. Embrace your inner scandi As our Nordic friends say "there is no such thing as bad weather only unsuitable clothing". Bust out the puddle suit and the wellies and go jump in some muddy puddles. We are not advising you paddle out in 10 foot wild surf but getting out and about in the wet weather can be invigorating, provided you are properly kitted out.

As the days get shorter and the weather gets cooler it can be easy to blow off your usual meets. Parenting is hard and it can be isolating at times, it is important for your wellbeing to get out and stay social, so do your best to keep the stoke alive even when the weather isn’t on your side. If you can’t stay salty, stay social.